The neighbors at East 154th and Utopia are getting restless. Most houses in the South Collinwood neighborhood are modest, and mostly maintained. But right on the corner stands a dilapidated and partially boarded structure the neighborhood has taken to calling the Addams Family house. Where the windows and doors aren't boarded, they are broken. The plywood panels that are in place have bleached and weathered, and seem to have been there for years. Its grass is tall, its hedge untrimmed.

On a recent sunny Tuesday afternoon, about 20 neighbors gather to meet Ed Rybka, the city's director of building and housing. One of the neighbors contacted Rybka's office, and he arrives to find that, organized by the local ACORN chapter, they have posters and chants ready, and the hope of getting him to sign a commitment that he will tear the hazardous eyesore down.

Damron isn't just concerned about the ugliness of it, but the safety. He and his wife have three kids.